Fresh Offerings for Caregivers and Halloween Treats

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Hiya;
Happy Halloween & Blessed Samhain. Kristin and I could not think of a better treat than to announce our sweet new offerings for Caregivers.

First up, The Handyman Special: An Activity book for People Who Love To Fix Things, is a new activity book for the fixer in your life that loves a good puzzle and would enjoy those puzzles even more in large print and simplified so they can feel the success of achievement. This book is the first in our Smart Brain Series and features logic puzzles such as: Sudoku, Word Search, Number, Finds, Spot the Difference, and Mazes. These are similar games we did with our loved one to help him stay engaged and feel purpose when he could no longer do what he used to do. This 108 page book is available on Amazon and soon other retailers as well.

Next up are two new Caregiver Quick Guides. Our “Busy Box Basics” is a six page guide to help the family caregiver create moments of nostalgia and connection with their loved one using an assortment of items that mean something and/or relative to their loved ones interests. “Doll Therapy 101” is a five page guide to using dolls as a way to help calm and restore a sense of purpose for a loved one with dementia. We used both of these methods to help keep our loved one engaged and focused. Both are available on Etsy to download today.

As long as you are checking out our Etsy shop, grab some Halloween Activity Sheets and Coloring Pages for some family entertainment. And grab one of our Halloween Countdown Sheets (the playlist is the same for both styles). Yes, today is the day but the QR code will take you to a playlist of vintage songs that will get your goblins dancing and singing, setting a perfect atmosphere for completing your Halloween themed party.

Please let us know how the activity book, Quick Guides, and Activities work for you and your loved one.

With love and gratitude,
Delaina and Kristin

Heartland Caregiving Conference

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Hiya friends;

Whew, what a week! We have been so busy getting ready for the Heartland Caregiving Conference and getting our Hello Caregiving ‘ducks in a row’ that Sunday kinda snuck up on us. But we are sure excited! 

There is a really good chance that we will have our newest book, The Handyman Special: An Activity Book for People Who Love to Fix Things, on the table for attendees to thumb through. Bursting with large print puzzles and activities that are simplified and designed for rejuvenation and  relaxation.  We are just waiting to make sure it looks as good in paperback form as it does digitally. Fingers crossed!

Also on the table will be a few ideas and book suggestions to help caregivers and their loved ones stay engaged, entertained, and maintaining a sense of purpose. We will  bring tip sheets and examples of our large-print puzzles that you can purchase and print from our Hello Caregiving ETSY shop. 

If you are attending please stop by and say hello. We would love to meet you.

Before we forget, we are super excited to donate our Savvy Self Care Basket to the Caregiving Conference. Filled with relaxing music, coloring books (featuring our soothing Mantra Mandalas), colored pens and more. We put together this basket with a lot of love for caregivers to enjoy some quiet introspective coloring or reading by themselves or with those they care for. 

How is it the end of October already?? WOW! 

Until next time,

Cheers,

Delaina & Kristin

Personal Peace with Why

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Hiya;

Kristin and I started our morning looking at our Why’s. This might sound strange but we find as multi-passionate entrepreneurs and creators that it is easy to get swept up in the momentum of “Yes” energy. Every now and then it helps us to check in with our soul energy. These moments rarely mean big shifts. They usually feel like a date with our friends, Ideas.

We started with why–Norwex? Honesty because we love: the products, everything the company stands for, and green cleaning. Norwex ✔️’s the boxes: plain, simple, and full of soulful-yes energy.

Why–Music? Because the seismic sound of our mother’s body is one of our first human experiences. Music calms, energizes, and connects us emotionally, physically, and spiritually; throw in some Reiki and we heal timelines and lifetimes of experiences.

Why–Poetry? Because poetry, like music, is the language of the soul. And I personally love to create with this medium. If we didn’t publish another poetry book I would still write poetry.

Why–Hello Caregiving? Caregiving, like music and poetry, is a vocation for us. We could no more refuse to be caregivers then we could refuse to take our next breath. It wasn’t part of the plan when we created Content X Design, but caregiving, creating, and publishing caregiver materials has enriched our lives in ways we could never have imagined.

And speaking of caregiving, we are less than two weeks away from having a table at the Heartland Caregiving Convention. It has been a long time since we have had a table at a caregiver event. Because of that we are hyper-focused on our caregiver publications right now. We might even have an activity book to show for it. Kristin has been pouring herself into the final touches of A Handyman’s Special: An Activity Book for People Who Love to Fix Things. At this rate there’s a good chance we will have a copy on the table.

Thank you for being in our lives. It helps knowing there is someone on the other end, hopeful nodding your own head as you think about your whys. Do your ‘whys’ bring you peace?

In love, light, and yes energy,
Delaina and Kristin

Sometimes Self Care

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Hiya:

Kristin and I are putting more effort into our self care. The caregiver hat is hard for us to take off. And I’m not really convinced that we need too. Afterall, it’s not that big of a deal to help someone get groceries, or to make handmade maracas so residents can play along with a handpan or other little things that are easy for us and not so easy for someone else. But sometimes when the needs of others are high we find it difficult to create space for our own well being.

 Small steps, that is how we are doing it. Sometimes we add, sometimes we subtract. Sometimes self care means going to bed early; sometimes it’s binging a great show (hello Karen Pirie;) sometimes it’s as simple as nurturing our faces with lux-feeling skin care products (hello Norwex).

What are you doing this week to take care of yourself?

 In love, light, and self care,
Delaina and Kristin

Community and Family

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Hiya;

This morning we went to Prairie Elder Care for their Fall Festival. Kristin donated her crochet masterpieces: Worry Worms, Chickens, Scarves (some are fleece cut by her mom). Delaina played handpans. A couple of small business owners brought goods to sell. We all got a chance to bid on art created by the residents.  Everyone had a great time eating donuts and drinking cider. 

Prairie Elder Care is a small home concept for those living with dementia. The original owners, the new owners, everyone that works, even the volunteers understand that community helps families thrive. It really is a farm with garden plots hosting a range of vegetables, berries, herbs, and flowers. And yes there are a few farm animals too, hence the crochet chickens and worms.

They get a lot of things right at PEC. And they were there for us when we needed them and in many ways they are still. After all, grief doesn’t just dissolve when the celebrations of life are over. Probably because we never stop celebrating the life of a loved one.

Thank you PEC for welcoming us into your family and letting us remain part of your community.

In love, light, and gratitude,
Delaina and Kristin

A Caregiver Boost

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Hiya;

Happy Wednesday! We hope you are doing good, treating yourself well, and enjoying nature. It was cooler in Kansas yesterday so we spent some time outside. Also millions of birds are migrating and they are very vocal. The symphony is delightful. A hawk also brought us great delight by chilling in our backyard Monday. And the full moon made the stars shine bright Monday morning.



With the Heartland Caregiver’s Conference fast approaching,  we are busy plumping up our Hello Caregiving YouTube channel @HelloCaregiving. Over at our Etsy shop, we have been stocking our virtual shelves with more printables that help caregivers keep their loved ones engaged. And yesterday, Delaina released a poetry reading of “As a Caregiver, I Learn to Lie Better,” from the poetry collections Paper Birds on her YouTube channel. She even talks about the value of “compassionate deceptions.”

How are you doing? What has delighted you so far this week?

In love, light, and caregiving,
Delaina and Kristin

Saturday Markets

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Hiya;

We hope your day is going well and you can enjoy the sunshine or whatever your weather is like. We have pale blues skies and it is a warm October day.

We love Saturday’s they are built for small business, farmer’s markets and charity car washes. If we had a stall in a Farmer’s Market today, here are the three things we would be thrilled to share with you.

1. Our anthology Paper Birds is celebrating its 6 month book launch birthday. It is hard to believe that it’s been a half a year since our Paper Birds left the nest. Thank you to you all for your support and helping us make this dream a reality. You have made four poets from two continents very happy.

2. We have been using Norwex products in our home for a decade and now we are consultants. Our favorite Norwex products are: The Mop, Microfiber Kitchen clothes (less paper towels), window cloths, the deodorant, and our soft plush bathrobes. This month we will be testing the face clothes and the laundry soap. We will let your know. 

3. Our Etsy shop has a new spooktacular offering, a Halloween Countdown sheet (two varieties orange or pink). This countdown calendar includes a QR code to Spotify playlist we created full of Vintage Spooky Music from the 1920-40’s with a few exceptions. This playlist is great for the sandwich caregiver household with classics for all ages (‘cause it’s really not that spooky).

When you go to your local Farmer’s Market, which stalls do you stop at first?

Have a great week!

In love, light, and Market Day,
Kristin and Delaina

Ripples in Blue – A Soundology and haiku for Inner Peace

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Hiya;

This morning when the air was still cool the cotton ball clouds rolled across the sky. And I could not resist taking a handpan out and playing under the ripples in blue above me.

ripples in blue
I want to name each cloud Peace
–formations in light

Kristin and I hope you take some time today to rest in the nest of your heart.
In love, light, and sound,
Delaina and Kristin